Zetema (Greek), 1. (n.) Inquiry, investigation, research, understanding. 2. (n.) Debate, points of disagreement.

Is the Zetema Project non-partisan?

No. We don’t pretend to be unbiased or non-partisan. Quite the reverse: We are multi-biased and multi-partisan. We try to include every major political and ideological view and each substantial stakeholder group relevant to the topics we explore.

Who funds the Zetema Project?

The Zetema Project is fully independent of any financial or political interests. All participants donate their time and pay their own travel expenses. The not-for-profit initiative is funded by the chair, Mark Zitter, through the Tides Center, its fiscal sponsor.

May I attend a Zetema meeting?

The semi-annual Zetema meetings aren’t open to the public. A limited number of experienced healthcare journalists attend, by invitation.

Are transcripts of the meetings made available?

No, but the content of the discussions are released on our website, organized by topics and questions. Journalists on site may write about what was discussed, but they make those decisions independently.

What is the Chatham House Rule, and why do you use it?

Under our version of the Chatham House Rule, we report on who attends meetings and what was said there, but we don’t say exactly who said what. This allows participants to express themselves freely without fear of being quoted in the media, and allows our staff to gather all candid views as we structure the arguments and counterarguments that we share with you. We also believe that you’re more likely to think deeply for yourself about a point if you lack the anchor that a political affiliation, industry segment, or individual expert might provide.

So does that mean I won’t get to hear directly from the experts on the panel?

No. Most of our panelists write blog posts, record video clips, or participate in other activities over the course of a year in which they express views that are linked to them personally.